The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 63, July 1959 - April, 1960 Page: 181

THE SOUTHWESTERN HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
VOL LXIII OCTOBER, 1'959 No. 2
Preservig Old aomcs i ?exas
KATHERINE HART
MOST TEXANS are doubtless proud that the 1958 estimate
of Texas population, recently released by the United
States Census Bureau, shows that the state is one of
seven in the nation to have made significant gains in population.
Most persons realize, however, that this upward surge is not un-
accompanied by growing pains, for hardly a day goes by that
someone does not say of the capital city of Texas, "Austin's just
getting too big for any use." This dilemma is common to most
sections of Texas, and citizens of the rapidly-expanding towns and
cities seem to be divided into two camps: (1) those who wish
to attract more industry and still more population, and (2) those
who mourn the good old days of the smaller town. It does not
really make any difference to which camp one belongs, for limit-
ing the size of a growing city is an academic question. Once a city
has reached a certain size, it cannot be kept from growing any
more than one can keep a child from growing by putting a brick
on his head. What can be done, though, is to try to direct the
growth so that those qualities that have made Texans love and
be proud of their home towns are not lost in the process of growth.
All over Texas, city governments and civic organizations are
spending considerable time and money on city planning. Experts
are hired to advise on this subject, but the final decision is, and
should be, in the hands of the citizens. In city planning, the
emphasis is rightly on the future, but just as heredity is important
in the life of the individual, a city's past is involved in its present
and future. It would be impossible to divorce Texas towns from
their past, even if one tried, but why should one try when Texas
and Texas towns have a past of which all can and should be proud?